EFSA OSA scheme: WHY, WHAT, HOW

EFSA may obtain expert advice in specific cases from Operational Support Advisors (OSA) based on a fixed daily remuneration. The OSA scheme complements and supports EFSA’s work in communication, digital transformation, and social sciences by ensuring access to specialised expertise when needed.

The procedure to select and contract such expert advice is based on Article 242 of the Financial Regulation (Remunerated external experts). The scheme is different to public procurement as it does not foresee competitive price tendering as the price is fixed by EFSA. The scheme is limited to “natural persons” who are selected on the basis of their professional capacity.

Fields in which EFSA needs OSA Experts

• CELS- Communication / Engagement / Language Services
• CIS/KM - Computer / Information Science / Knowledge Management
• EMS- Economics / Mathematics / Statistics
• SSc. Social Science

Tasks on which OSA Expert gives advice

• Designing, improving and governing knowledge organisation and knowledge repositories, including processes for creation, storage, retrieval, reuse, and lifecycle management of codified knowledge.
• Optimising document and content workflows to improve efficiency, quality, traceability and findability of information, including recommendations for workflow redesign and quality controls.
• Improving search, indexing and retrieval performance, including tagging and metadata strategies, to enhance accessibility and discoverability across digital environments.
• Scoping and advising on automation and data pipelines for extracting and structuring knowledge from documents and content, including feasibility, risks, and system integration considerations
• A full list of tasks can be found in the Notice of call for expression of interest under Section 4 published here

Who can apply

• Any individual (natural persons) with the required profile
• Citizens of a member state of EU or EFTA or an EU Candidate country
• Citizens from third countries may also apply

Remuneration

Individual experts are remunerated with a fixed fee of 360 € per day.

Maximum amount that can be paid to an individual expert during the whole duration of the call (5 years) is 140.000 €*, including remunerations and possible reimbursements.

How is the OSA Expert list established and contracts awarded

• Individuals submit an expression of interest, via an online tool, in accordance with the rules described in the Notice of call for expression of interest.
• EFSA Evaluation Committee assess the expressions of interest and draw up a list of individual experts who meet the call criteria.
• When EFSA needs an advice on a particular task, the Unit will select the most suitable individual expert from the list.
• The tasks will be formalised in a contract which defines the exact duration of the tasks and total price.

Find out more about the OSA call here.

*This amount is subject to changes in line with the rules applicable for procedures below the threshold as per Directive on public procurement (2014/24/EU as further amended).